Good morning, it’s Monday, March 30, 2026. In today’s edition, legislatures tackle housing bills; Idaho approves nation’s strictest bathroom bill; new polls in Nevada, South Carolina:
Top Stories
HOUSING: A bipartisan push to make housing more affordable is exploding across legislatures, where Democrats and Republicans are embracing a growing playbook of pro-housing policies. Lawmakers in 40 states have filed more than 400 bills aiming to spur homebuilding. In many cases, local governments seeking to preserve their own control have become the biggest impediment to new bills. (Pluribus News)
LGBTQ RIGHTS: Idaho lawmakers have approved the strictest bathroom ban in the nation, a measure making it a crime for transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity even in private businesses. Violators could be sentenced to up to a year in jail. (Associated Press)
ABORTION: The Kansas legislature has overridden Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of legislation that would bar state and local government from regulating crisis pregnancy centers providing “life-affirming care” to pregnant women. The law would prohibit government from enacting measures that would require pregnancy centers to offer to perform abortions or provide abortion-inducing drugs. (State Affairs)
REDISTRICTING: A Cole County judge has thrown out a lawsuit from the ACLU challenging Missouri’s new Republican-friendly congressional district maps. Opponents of the new maps have submitted enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, but the judge said that referendum doesn’t prevent the legislature’s GOP-friendly maps from taking effect. (St. Louis Public Radio)
GAMBLING: Washington Attorney General Nick Brown (D) has filed suit against the prediction market Kalshi, calling it an illegal gambling operation. Nevada won a temporary restraining order against the site a week ago, and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) filed criminal charges against the site as well. (State Affairs)
WILDFIRES: Arizona’s Department of Forestry and Fire Management is rolling out AI wildfire detection cameras. The cameras use an algorithm to monitor specific areas for unusual activity, flagging dispatchers if they detect smoke. (State Affairs)
Several other states already use AI systems to watch for fires. Those systems can alert authorities much earlier, and with much better accuracy and specificity, than reports from the public.
ENERGY: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) has rolled out his priorities for the 2027 legislative session, and data centers are high on the list. Patrick instructed Senate committees to look into water demands, power demands and private property rights surrounding “energy-intensive technologies.” (Texas Tribune)
MARIJUANA: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has vetoed a bill allowing terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis. In his veto message, Reeves cited an amendment allowing out-of-state residents to be eligible for the program. (Magnolia Tribune)
In Politics & Business
NEVADA: A Noble Predictive Insights survey shows Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) statistically tied with Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) 39% to 38%. Both candidates have net-favorable ratings. Lombardo leads among independents by six points, while Ford leads among Hispanics by 24 and in crucial Washoe County by 12. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
SOUTH CAROLINA: The race for the GOP nomination for governor remains tight: Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) and U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R) are statistically tied at 19%-18%, while Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) takes 15% and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R) clocks in at 13%. (co/efficient)
IOWA: State Rep. Eddie Andrews (R) is calling on former Administrative Services Director Adam Steen (R) to end his gubernatorial campaign after Steen sought to challenge Andrews’s qualifying signatures. A state board allowed Andrews to appear on the ballot last week. (Des Moines Register) U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) is launching his second big ad buy in the race. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
TEXAS: House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) has instructed lawmakers to study the secession of several New Mexico counties ahead of next year’s legislative session. Secession isn’t going to happen, but the study has a political purpose: Pro-secessionists are among Burrows’s conservative critics. (Texas Tribune)
By The Numbers
$39 million: The amount tech giants spent on lobbying and political ads in California in 2025. Facebook parent company Meta spent $4.6 million alone lobbying lawmakers, by far the most in its history. (CalMatters)
63,004: The number of people who attended Denver Summit FC’s opening game on Saturday, the largest attendance for a National Women’s Soccer League game ever. The team drew about 23,000 more fans than the previous record, set by Bay FC in San Francisco in 2025. (Colorado Sun)
$93: The amount the average family of four spends on Easter candy every year. Candy prices are up 67% since 2020, according to an analysis by InvestorsObserver. (Hartford Courant)
Off The Wall
Dean Roy is running for governor of Vermont. Roy, 14, says his interest in politics started way back in eighth grade — last year. Roy is the first candidate under the age of 18 to qualify for the November ballot. (Associated Press)
Ted Martindale, owner of a cafe in British Columbia, celebrated his 80th birthday with a massive 17 foot-by-17 foot carrot cake. The three-ton cake includes 1,760 lbs. of carrots, 700 lbs. of butter and nearly 2,000 lbs. of icing. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“The short answer is no. The long answer is hell no.”
— North Dakota Senate Majority Leader David Hogue (R), on a proposal to strip Republican Party labels from candidates who do not attend the party’s state convention. (North Dakota Monitor)